Art Reach street painting workshop brightens downtown sidewalks

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Chalk up another Mount Pleasant street art event.

Orlando pastel artist Lee Jones and Art Reach of Michigan, 111 E. Broadway St., put on a community chalk workshop to help educate aspiring artists on the fundamentals of pastel art. Participants of all different skill levels paid $25 for the workshop as well as a five-by-five foot square of sidewalk for use as a canvas.

Madonnari Street Painter Lee Jones shows different ways to blend pastels on cement along with tricks to creating outlines for designs and patterns during the sidewalk chalk workshop Tuesday evening outside Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E. Broadway St. Jones started street painting in 1994, and has competed in more than 200 chalking festivals around the world. Victoria Zegler/Staff Photographer

Jones taught workshop attendees the history of the art form, proper chalking techniques and the “pounce method,” a way to create a proper outline on the cement using baby powder and a template.

“The thing that amazes me most are the people that can make their designs with no outline or grid,” Jones said.

Jones started street painting in 1995 and has painted countless extravagant works of art throughout the United States, Italy and Curacao. She has met numerous talented street artists throughout the world, including an original Madonnaro, one of the Italian painters she said saved the art form from extinction more than 30 years ago.

She has taught street painting for 15 years, helping hundreds of young artists find their niche in decorating the streets.

“I think it’s going to be a while until this art form dies out,” Jones said.

Art Reach Executive Director Kathryn Hill hopes Art Reach’s continued efforts to brighten downtown Mount Pleasant with community art will be gratifying for all downtown businesses.

“What we’re trying to do is bring a lot of public art projects to the downtown area,” Hill said. “We’re all working together to make it a better community.”

Mount Pleasant residents Amanda and Jody Sherwood saw signs for the workshop while browsing through downtown and decided to work together on their pastel art. The mother-daughter duo decided to create a forest scene, titled “Sherwood Forest.”

“I grew up in Mount Pleasant and I don’t remember seeing activities like this growing up,” Amanda Sherwood said. “It’s great to see art like this from the community.”